Cuba’s parliament named Raul Castro president(on left in image) on Sunday, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel.

Sure, I already posted about Fidel Castro and we were pretty sure his younger brother Raul was going to replace him, but after 50 years of rule by Fidel, Cuba has a new face as leader.

Alright, so Raul isn’t all that new of a face for the Cuban people. Is he going to change things much from the way his brother ruled Cuba? I’m not betting the house on it.

Raul proposed he would consult with his ailing brother, 81-year-old Fidel on all major decisions of state, and parliament approved the proposal.

Raul is getting up there in age himself. Born June 3, 1931, he’ll be 77 this year. We can pretty much assume that they will not be 50 years of rule by Raul.

You knew the US would put their 2 cents in and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice must have drew short straw (ok I don’t know if they draw straws to decide things, but it would make sense the way things are going).

Rice said Cubans have a right

“to choose their leaders in democratic elections”

and urged the government

“to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all political prisoners, respecting human rights, and creating a clear pathway towards free and fair elections.”

Oh yeah Condi, Raul is going to listen to what you have to say.

Face it, for Cuba, Raul Rules. (Try and say “Raul Rules” 10 times REALLY fast)

 Let’s face it, we all would like to make more money, but they always say money can’t buy happiness. Some respond to that by saying, “but it can buy a big new house, a new car, new clothes and plenty of trips around the world.”

 Most currency from around the world always seems to have faces of people on it. Whether it’s Presidents or leaders or even Queen Elizabeth.

The US 100 dollar bill has the face of Benjamin Franklin (as shown in the image on the right) on the front who was a U.S. statesman, inventor, and diplomat. The 100 dollar bill is one of two U.S. bills that doesn’t feature a U.S. President. The other is the U.S. 10 dollar bill with Alexander Hamilton.

 The US 1 dollar bill has the face of first U.S. President George Washington (as shown in the image on the left). Although more people want more Benjamins, they probably see more of George since the one dollar bill is the most common obviously because of it’s low denomination.

The U.S. 2 dollar bill has the face of former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, the U.S. 5 dollar bill has the face of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, the 10 is mentioned above, the U.S. 20 dollar bill has the face of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson, and the U.S. 50 dollar bill has the face of former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant. Then there are all the coins.

Canadian currency features numerous faces as well. Queen Elizabeth is one of those faces (see left image) which is featured on various denominations including the Canadian one dollar coin, often referred to as a “Loonie” for the loon that is featured on the opposite side of the coin (see right image).

It doesn’t matter what country the currency comes from, it seems they all have a face of someone from that country’s history.

Let’s face it, we’d all like to see a little more of these faces.

That is not a typo!

For nearly 5 decades Fidel Castro was the leader of Cuba and now he finally steps down. It has sent shock waves around the world, but rarely a blip registered on the radar in Cuba. Maybe after so many years of being ruled by Castro, those in Cuba won’t believe it until his death, which he is not far from.

Fidel Castro revealed his plans in a letter published in the middle of the night on February 18, in the online version of Cuba’s state-run newspaper, Granma.

“I will not aspire to, nor will I accept the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief,” Castro wrote. “I wish only to fight as a soldier of ideas…. Perhaps my voice will be heard.”

The Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, US Embargo against Cuba are serveral of the defining moments of Cuba-USA foreign relations that come to mind when I look at the face of Fidel Castro.

Who will replace Fidel Castro?

Cuba’s leaders plan to elect a president within days. Castro’s brother Raúl, 76, the country’s defense minister, has been named publicly as his successor.

Castro’s Health has been getting worse in recent years and that is part of the reason he gave for his resignation, stating that

“It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total devotion, that I am not in a physical condition to offer”